London's four-hour fan event draws huge crowd

Sunday

LONDON - Jaguars coach Gus Bradley was a bit taken back on stage as he overlooked the massive crowd at Trafalgar Square.

"I didn't expect this," Bradley said. "This is unbelievable."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Jaguars owner Shad Khan, also in attendance, likely felt the same way. Mark Waller, the NFL's chief marketing officer, estimated 70,000 people attended the fan rally on Saturday, the day before the Jaguars (0-7) host San Francisco (5-2) at Wembley Stadium. Prior to Saturday, the league boasted that 40,000 had attended fan events before in Trafalgar Square. The NFL has staged games in London every year since 2007.

Khan and Bradley spent several minutes on stage and were joined by general manager Dave Caldwell, defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks and kicker Josh Scobee.

Khan told the masses he wants London to be a second home for the Jaguars, who will play a home game in London for the next three years as well. Bradley's message was that the Jaguars need to earn the crowd's support and provide a good product on the field.

The rest of the team was inside the square among the crowd. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, linebacker Paul Posluszny, center Brad Meester and quarterback Chad Henne conducted interviews from that area that were shown on a giant video screen next to the stage.

Former Jaguars standouts offensive tackle Tony Boselli, running back Fred Taylor and defensive end Jeff Lageman also spoke to the crowd from the stage during the rally. Taylor fired up the crowd, picking the Jaguars to pull the upset 17-13.

The crowd appeared evenly split among Jaguars and 49ers fans, with the majority of the fans wearing NFL gear from one of the other 30 teams.

There were plenty of things for the crowd to do, which never lightened over the four-hour event despite off-and-on rain. Fans could get a picture taken next to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, take part in passing and kicking stations, play at a Madden video game tent and more.

There was also plenty of merchandise, which was in high demand. Lines consistently had 50 or more people at the main hub. Vendors had 10 different lines going to efficiently move fans through, but slight delays remained.

"It's been full on since 11 this morning," vendor Michael Wilkinson said. "It's been relentless all day. It's a bit more 49ers being sold. The Jaguars are doing very well though."

Jaguars fan Greg McLauchlan traveled roughly 500 miles from his hometown in Perth, Scotland to attend the event.

"I'm quite new to this sport," McLauchlan said. "I wanted to get behind the Jaguars with them coming over here for four years. It's nice to see a lot of people are getting behind the Jaguars."

The 25-year-old McLauchlan wore a replica Posluszny jersey.

"I generally like the linebackers," McLauchlan said. "They're the generals of the defense."

The Jaguars top fan in the United Kingdom was honored on stage. Joe Vincent, who lives three hours away in Wales, was honored for his efforts as president of the Union Jax, a Jaguars fan club in the UK.

Goodell invited him up on stage with his recognizable phrasing.

"With the first pick in the 2013 UK draft, the No. 1 choice is Joe Vincent," Goodell said.

Vincent and his wife, Rebecca, will be flown to Jacksonville next May for the Jaguars draft party. The following day, the team will fly them to New York City where Vincent will announce a Jaguars pick at the draft.

Vincent has helped the Union Jax reach roughly 20,000 members. He was pleased with the support the team received Saturday.

"It's superb," said Vincent, who sported a replica jersey of safety Johnathan Cyprien.

"There's loads of teal and loads of black. It's a really great atmosphere. The fan base is growing."

Jaguars mascot, Jaxson de Ville, made multiple appearances on stage, as did the Jaguars cheerleaders, The Roar.

San Francisco's team also appeared at the rally, as did a few of its notable alumni like quarterback Joe Montana and tight end Dwight Clark.

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